Epsom betting favourites statistics
Epsom’s big raceday is of course the Derby but the Coronation Cup and the Oaks, both fillies races, the latter one of the five English Classics, are also raced at Epsom.
| Age of horses racing | Non-handicap races | Handicap races |
| 2-y-o | 9-21 (42.86%) | 0-5 (0.0%) |
| 3-y-o and up | 20-44 (45.45%) | 33-109 (30.28%) |
| Totals | 29-65 (44.62%) | 33-114 (28.95%) |
Figures from 2005 season up to and including 28 January 2010. Source: Racing Post and author’s own research.
What does the fate of the favourite tell us?
These figures don’t show the full picture for betting on favourites at Epsom. If the figures for three-year-olds only – races like the Oaks and the Derby – then a surprising number of successes can be seen. Favourites have won 14 of the last 24 non-handicaps for three-year-olds only – a strike rate of over 58 per cent.
Betting to level stakes (eg a flat £50 on each favourite, regardless of odds) on favourites in these 24 races would therefore have yielded a significant profit.
The same cannot be said for two-year-old handicaps – no two-year old has won here under the weights for at least five years.